


The Effects of the Spotlight: A Study of Group-work and Personal Interaction

by In a Fishbowl (sameuspegasus)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Gen, POV Outsider, Psychology, psychological experiments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 18:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13664313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sameuspegasus/pseuds/In%20a%20Fishbowl
Summary: AU: Five teenage boys are selected to participate in a social psychology experiment run by Professor Simon Cowell. It should never have got past the ethics committee.





	The Effects of the Spotlight: A Study of Group-work and Personal Interaction

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and is in no way intended to reflect the real-life characters and personalities of the people written about. Any behaviour and character traits displayed in this story are figments of the author's imagination, loosely based on the parts of themselves real people choose to share with the public. No events depicted on the story should be taken to represent anything that has actually happened. This is not an accurate depiction of a psychological experiment.

**Prologue**

“Time to go, Harry,” Kathleen said, just barely managing to maintain her businesslike tone. Professor Cowell had been very clear that she was there for management purposes and impartial observation only and should not allow her judgement to be clouded by emotion or sentimental feelings towards the boys. Maintaining objectivity had never been a problem for her – she’d always been more of a thinker than a feeler. A tiny shimmer of doubt was lingering at the back of her brain this time, though. It was only the first day of the long-term study, and a there was already a strange choked-up feeling in her throat as she watched the curly-haired teenager run back to his mother for one last hug. That was pure, uninhibited, familial love right there, something she’d never experienced for herself. Hopefully by the end of the study the boy would still be capable of that kind of freedom of expression. But he probably wouldn’t.

Harry’s whole family stepped back up for another round of hugs. It was another five minutes before she could usher him away to join orientation. The other four boys were already inside. There was a cheerful one with big blue eyes, who had practically bounced into the compound, telling her how he’d always wanted to be part of an experiment (an unusual dream, but he’d seemed genuine). He’d asked about her family and when she’d begrudgingly told him she had none, he’d volunteered. He might be nearly as difficult as Harry to remain objective about. Next was very serious boy in a freshly ironed shirt, who had asked a number of questions about the study and informed her earnestly that he intended to perform to the best of his ability and prove himself to Professor Cowell. Kathleen had tried to explain that it didn’t really matter who did the best at any of the assigned tasks, because it was a study of group-work and personal interaction in young men, rather than a competition, but he hadn’t seemed like he really believed her. The last two were a lively young man who had answered sarcastically when she’d asked for final confirmation that he understood what he’d signed up for, and an extremely beautiful boy who had only spoken when asked a direct question. By the time the boys returned to their families, none of them would be the same.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Harry was saying to her, as she opened the door of the glass-walled compound and led him through, “I mean, I liked working in the bakery, but this is going to be so much more interesting.”

“Just wait with the other boys for now,” Kathleen instructed him. “Someone will be along shortly to give you instructions.” With that, she shut him in the waiting room, watching him for a moment through the floor to ceiling windows that formed most of the walls in the house. The only rooms that no-one could see into were the bathrooms (for decency reasons) and the observation room, so the boys couldn’t see the researchers reviewing the footage from the cameras and audio recordings.

She reached the observation room and sat in front of her monitor, slipping her headset on just as Professor Cowell entered the waiting room to speak to the boys. It was probably the last time he would speak directly to the boys for the duration of the experiment, but he would be behind every task, every detail, every tiny manipulation to influence the ways the boys interacted with one another and the outside world. The findings of the study would have applications in both the business world and the entertainment industry and Cowell was setting out to demonstrate his expertise to both by making sure he made as much money as possible out of it.

“Your role in the study is simple,” Professor Cowell explained to the group of boys, who were gathered before him on a couch too small to comfortably fit five teenagers. Signs bearing their names were hanging around their necks, big enough to be easily read on a television screen. Harry and the serious boy, Liam, were in the centre, both paying wide-eyed, earnest attention. Zayn, the beautiful, quiet boy, was squashed against one arm of the couch, looking uncomfortable and disinterested. Louis was perched on the other arm occasionally attempting to ask a question and being ignored.  The sign around his neck read ‘Lewis’. The pleasant Irish boy who had been so willing to befriend her earlier was draped across the back of the sofa, wearing a sign that said ‘Naill’. Kathleen frowned down at her notes. The manipulation of the subjects was already starting. “All you need to do,” continued the mastermind of the project, “is keep the audience entertained for as long as possible. You will be rewarded both financially and emotionally, with the praise and adulation of the audience, when you succeed. Conversely, if you fail to please the audience, you will receive negative feedback, both in person and via social media. You will be given guidance in how to retain an audience’s interest, but ultimately it is your responsibility to work as a group to keep them entertained. Throughout this experience all of your interactions will be observed and analysed by a team of experts…”

Professor Cowell was cut off here by a yelp of surprise followed by a loud laugh as ‘Naill’ slipped off the back of the couch. He jumped back to his feet, unembarrassed. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Kathleen read over the notes before her one last time. Now that she had met the children – sorry, young adults – involved, she found she was more concerned about the ethics of the study than she had been initially. To be honest, she wasn’t sure how Professor Cowell had got it past an ethics committee. It was privately funded, so that probably helped, and Simon Cowell was a very clever and powerful man. He could probably convince almost anybody that the ends justified the means.

The true nature of the study had not been revealed to the boys, to prevent them modifying their behaviour accordingly. Her stomach tightened as she re-read the outline. She chided herself. She was just a well-paid observer. These boys and their families had agreed to this, and the world would gain a wide variety of psychological insight from the effects of the changing variables on the boys. The greater good, she told herself, blinking away the memory of Harry resting his head against his mother’s shoulder. The boys chose this.

**Subject 1 (Harry) shall be objectified and suffer almost constant sexual harassment.**

Simon had chosen the roles each boy would encompass personally. Kathleen found herself hoping he had chosen Harry because Harry had seemed the most able to cope with it during the interviews when the participants for the study had been picked. Unlikely.

**Subject 2 (Liam) shall be told he is boring and lacks personality. Positive feedback will be largely withheld, regardless of whether or not it is deserved.**

Liam had already demonstrated the willingness to work hard and try his absolute best at any task he was given. It would be interesting to see how long it lasted in the absence of a reward.

**Subject 3 (Zayn) shall be creatively stifled and encouraged to fulfill a role he doesn’t identify with.**

Judging by the look on his face during the briefing, Zayn was already having doubts about participating. How long could someone last in a situation where he was not permitted to be himself?qa

**Subject 4 (Niall) shall be treated as a child and prevented from fulfilling his potential. Subject 4 shall be designated ‘nice’ and will be harshly and unjustly punished should he ever display any emotion other than happiness.**

Kathleen could see why Niall had been chosen for this role. He had seemed warm and kind-hearted and open, both in the short time she had spent accompanying him into the compound, and when he had been introduced to the other participants. But nobody could be happy all the time. It was impossible.

**Subject 5 (Louis) shall have his confidence and self-esteem systematically destroyed through a variety of methods – including but not limited to being unfavourably compared with the other subjects, having his input undervalued, being denied responsibility and being made the subject of widespread, malicious gossip.**

Now that she could see the young man balanced precariously on the arm of the sofa, the wrong name displayed on the sign around his neck, a tiny thrill of guilt ran through her at being party to this. But maybe he’d be fine. Maybe he’d prove the resilience of young men. And it would be just so interesting to watch…


End file.
